PARK ORIENT PLAYER ARABUL AND MATCH REFEREE KEATING EMERGE AS HEROES AFTER HORRIFIC INJURY ON THE 15 ACRES

MERT ARABUL AND PARK ORIENT MANAGER BRIAN KAVANAGH AFTER THE INCIDENT

MERT ARABUL of Park Orient along with ISRS member Jimmy Keating emerged as reluctant heroes as a serious head injury in a Leinster Football League game at the 15 Acres saw their calmness under pressure tested to the limit this morning.

The LFL Premier match between Dublin Dynamo and Park Orient was brought to a shuddering halt after an horrific accidental clash of heads between two Dublin Dynamo players with an audible crack heard by everyone in attendance.

Immediately referee Keating called for attention and Orient player Arabul, an Intensive Care Unit Nurse in the Mater Hospital, was on the ground within seconds assessing the injuries while using his professional expertise to manage the situation.

By EAMON SCOTT

Contact was made with the emergency services and while Arabul tended to the injured players, Keating acted as intermediary on a mobile phone delivering back-up advice while waiting on the arrival of medical personnel.

Traffic in the vicinity was congested with the hosting of an athletics race and Park Orient manager Brian Kavanagh believes the professionalism of both Arabul and Keating was hugely important in ensuring the injured received the best possible attention.

HERO REFEREE: ISRS DUBLIN BRANCH MEMBER JIMMY KEATING

Said Kavanagh: "We're blessed that Mert was so close by. He recognised the seriousness of the injury and he was very professional in how he went about his business. Likewise Jimmy Keating was excellent in how he managed the situation as there were clearly people upset by what they had witnessed, but he was very calm and measured in supervising everything."

Added Kavanagh: "if we hadn't got Mert, I don't know what we would have done. None of us have the type of medical knowledge that was required in this emergency. Everyone knew it was a very serious injury. There was a long delay in the arrival of paramedics so his intervention during the wait was critical to having a positive outcome to an incident that could possibly have had a different outcome."

Dublin Dynamo team manager Roman Pryyma was also full of praise for the expertise of Arabul in managing the situation.

"We are so grateful to him for his care and attention in a difficult situation," said Pryyma.

"Also the referee was very important in how he conducted himself and the people around him and we are thankful for all their input."

Said match official James Keating: “I was able to liaise with the control unit and it was comforting that Mert was there and he deserves a huge amount of credit. I was able to tell the controller what Mert was doing and he was able to inform me of the where the paramedics were in terms of arriving on site. “

“I was a little shaken afterwards but the welfare of the player and a duty of care was my priority to ensure he received the best attention available and I really hope he makes a full recovery.”

Roman Pryyma subsequently raised the issue of a lack of an ambulance on site given that there were five matches ongoing on the 15 Acres at the time.

"With so many teams playing it is something that needs to be looked at . With all these games ongoing the likelihood of an accident - whether to one of our players or someone else is increased. We need to raise this issue as a matter of urgency and look to see how we can have medical support in place when there are so many players in action."

Leinster Football League President Tony O'Dowd paid tribute to both Arabul and Keating and said: "This was a very serious situation and I would like to go on record and thank them for their care and attention in what was clearly a traumatic situation for the injured players. Taking control and managing a situation like this is important for everyone concerned and they were excellent at dealing with what happened."

Added O’Dowd: "I'd like to wish the injured players all the best as they recover from this serious unfortunate accident. We all hope he has a speedy recovery and returns to full health as soon as possible."

One good piece of news for users of the 15 Acres is the imminent arrival of a defibrillator in the foyer of the dressing rooms pavillon. Said Tony O'Dowd: "Bohemians Football Club are due to install one and they have indicated that it will be available for all clubs using the 15 Acres once they have the appropriate training in how to use the device."